Israeli drone attack in West Bank ‘will not go unpunished’: Palestinian resistance groups

Hazem Qasem, spokesman of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, denounced the strike, which left three people dead, as a “grave escalation” on Wednesday, saying the assassination of the Palestinian youths “will not go unpunished.”

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said the use of drones in operations against Palestinians in Jenin is a “dangerous development,” calling on Palestinian resistance groups to intensify their resistance against the occupying regime in the area.

Abdul-Jawad al-Attar, one of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad movement, also said the resistance front will not remain silent in the face of Israeli crimes and will continue to defend the Palestinian people.

Additionally, the Jenin Battalion of Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades announced in a statement that the Israeli regime must pay for its “foolish decision” to target a number of fighters using drones.

“These assassinations will not weaken our resolve to confront the enemy, and the Zionist regime must pay for it,” it added.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military targeted a vehicle near the Al-Jalama checkpoint north of Jenin, accusing its occupants of belonging to a “terrorist cell.”

Describing the aftermath of the attack, Kamal Abu al-Roub, deputy governor of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, said there were “three dismembered bodies inside” the car, which he said had been hit by missiles.

The Jenin Battalion identified the three victims as Suhaib Adnan al-Ghul, 27, Ashraf Murad al-Saadi, 17, and Mohammad Bashar Owais, 28, all members of the Islamic Jihad.

Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.

Most of the raids have been into the cities of Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance against occupation.